Birds of Prey
''Birds of Prey ''is an Oz novella written by British-American author Bastian Phillips. This is Phillips' debut story, and he chose to self-publish. The non-canon novella relays the journey of Xander Byrne and his misadventures in the land of Oz. Along the way, he meets vampires, werewolves, and even famous Oz characters themselves. Plot Summary Xander Byrne has just recently lost his mother in a plane crash, lost his friends after coming out of the closet as gay, and lost his father to alcohol. One day at his school, a strange prospective student named Gale shadows him. Throughout the day, Xander is hammered with questions by her about his family, friends, and personal life. While driving home from school, Xander is ejected from his car during a crash, landing him in the Ohio River. When he wakes up, he finds that he is resting his head on a man's bare chest. The man, Aiden, tells him that he is in the land of Oz and that Xander should follow him. They end up embarking on a journey that leads them into a dark forest where they encounter werewolves. The leader of the pack, Mateo, reveals to Xander that Aiden is truly a vampire, and immediately, they attack him. Xander is knocked unconscious. When he awakes, he finds that he is in a cave, and he is injured. Aiden eventually comes, and the two end up sleeping together. The next morning, on their journey, Aiden tells Xander that he is three hundred and fifty-one years old. The two end up in front of a marble palace, where two guards disclose the fact that Aiden is actaully the Wizard of Oz. While trying to wrap his mind around the whole situation, Xander meets his mother, who was thought to be dead. She turns out to be a vampire as well, and she reveals that she and Aiden are engaged. Xander's mother tells him that he has been requested in the throne room. Upon entering the throne room, the three are greeted by "the goddess", a tall, elegant, vampiric female who is worshiped as a deity by the natives of Oz. She tells Xander that she knows he and Aiden slept together, and she tries to kill him. Aiden intervenes, turns Xander into a vampire, and ends up being executed by the goddess. The goddess is revealed to be Glinda herself, and she tells Xander to run away or be executed himself. Upon leaving, Xander realizes he has superhuman abilities and can now see without his glasses. Xander seeks refuge in the cave he and Aiden had sex in. He has an emotional breakdown when he finds Aiden's overcoat was left in the cave. While crying, Xander hears footsteps approach the cave. It turns out to be Gale, the prospective student who shadowed him at school. Gale mocks him and explains that she is the one who brought Xander to Oz in the first place to give Glinda more power. Glinda wanted Aiden all for herself, but Xander's mother got in the way. By killing Xander, Glinda figured she could kill his mother while she was at a loss, and she would be able to get with Aiden. Gale reveals herself as Dorothy Gale, and then physically assaults him. Xander's mother shows up and knocks Dorothy unconscious. The two run off to escape the vampiric guards being sent by Glinda. Xander and his mother are rescued by Mateo, whose pack brutally murders Glinda's guards. Mateo and Xander's mother (whose name is revealed to be Waverley), are ambushed by Dorothy, who uses her powers to control Mateo, whom she mockingly calls "Toto". Xander and Waverley attack Dorothy and end up decapitating her then setting her body on fire. Glinda shows up and blames the loss of her guards on Xander. She leaps into the air and begins to descend upon him, but Waverley throws him her ruby necklace, allowing Xander to return home. He wakes up in his own bed, and when he looks out of his window, he sees his car in the driveway, completely intact. This leads Xander to believe he dreamt the whole thing. Upon leaving his room, he notices his eyes are lit up a crimson color, and his skin is ghastly white. Xander runs outside, and his skin glistens in the sunlight, signifying he is in fact a vampire. Category:Non-canonical Books Category:Modern Oz Books